A review of genus Nysius Dallas in Argentina (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Orsillidae)

The orsillid genus Nysius Dallas is a complex and large genus with more than 100 described species worldwide, and includes many species of agricultural importance, one such example is N. simulans (Stål) from Argentina. Three species of Nysius are found in this country: N. simulans (Stål), N. irroratus (Spinola) and N. puberulus Berg. The material available for the present study, consisting of over 610 specimens, was collected by sweep-net, G-Vac and light trap in the provinces of Chubut (42° to 46°S; 63.5° to 72° W), La Pampa (35º to 39º south; 63º to 68º West), Neuquén (36° to 41° S; 68° to 71°W) and Río Negro (37° to 42°S; 62° to 71°W), in the central region of Argentina, during the years 2010–2014. Although the species N. simulans is frequently recorded as a pest of soybean crop, there exist no detailed description but only a brief general diagnosis. In the present contribution, therefore, we provide a detailed redescription as well as an updated distribution of N. simulans and N. irroratus, and a key for species of genus Nysius present in Argentina.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Efficacy and tolerance of the topical application of potassium hydroxide (10% and 15%) in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum: Randomized clinical trial: Research protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Molluscum contagiosum is a non-severe pediatric viral infection. Because it is highly contagious and current treatments have negative aesthetic and psychological effects, we want to test an alternative treatment in the primary care setting, consisting of two different concentrations of potassium hydroxide solution.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>The study design is a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, using three types of topical treatment. The treatment consist of daily applications of potassium hydroxide (KOH) in aqueous solution at 10% and 15% concentration, and a placebo administered in the control group. Four follow-up visits (at 15, 30, 45 and 60 days) are planned to evaluate treatment effectiveness and patient tolerance.</p> <p>The main outcome measure of the trial will be the healing rate, defined as lesion disappearance in the affected zones after the topic application of the experimental treatment. Secondary measures will be the principal characteristics and evolution of the affected zone (surface area, number of lesions, size and density of lesions), treatment tolerance (hyperpigmentation, itching, burning, pain), recurrence rate and the natural evolution of lesions in the control group.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>KOH can potentially be an effective and safe treatment for MC in primary care, and can also reduce referrals to dermatologists and hospital pediatric departments. In addition, KOH may be a valid and less expensive alternative to current invasive treatments (surgical excision).</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01348386">NCT01348386</a></p

Optimización del Transporte de Caña de Azúcar

[Optimizing Transport of Sugar Cane] Tucumán cuenta con 15 ingenios, en los que se procesa la totalidad de la producción de caña de azúcar de la provincia. El transporte de la caña de los distintos productores hacia los ingenios se realiza en la actualidad a partir de convenios particulares que no tienen en cuenta el rendimiento final total de la cosecha. Así, un productor puede enviar la caña de sus tierras a un ingenio distante, aún cuando en el camino los camiones que realizan el transporte pasen por delante de otros ingenios. Este problema es sólo un aspecto de otro mayor, que tiene que ver con la eficiencia global del sistema productivo. Actualmente, durante los primeros y los últimos días de la zafra (cosecha temprana y cosecha tardía), la caña madura no es suficiente para satisfacer la demanda de los ingenios. Inversamente, en el período intermedio la cantidad de caña sobresatura la capacidad de procesamiento. Como consecuencia se produce menos azúcar de la que se podría. Teniendo esto en cuenta, la racionalización del transporte sería un primer paso en el avance hacia un sistema más eficiente. Sin perder de vista este objetivo, la simple puesta en práctica, en el corto plazo, de un criterio optimizado de distribución representaría una mejora respecto de la situación actual. En primer lugar, disminuiría el consumo de combustible. Debe tenerse en cuenta que uno de los subproductos de la caña es el alcohol, a partir del cual se produce el bioetanol, y con el que se rebaja, por ley, un 5% de las naftas. En este sentido, la reducción del consumo de combustibles fósiles adquiere una doble importancia. Por otro lado, un mejor sistema de distribución tendría también una importante repercusión social. Los camiones que transportan la caña viajan usualmente de noche, sin luces y a muy baja velocidad y son, en consecuencia, responsables de numerosos accidentes de tránsito, puesto que no son vistos a tiempo por los automovilistas. La disminución de la cantidad de camiones recorriendo las rutas y caminos de la provincia contribuiría a reducir la cantidad de accidentes. Finalmente, un sistema optimizado de distribución serviría, en vistas del problema general, como herramienta de diagnóstico permitiendo señalar algunos puntos por mejorar. Podrían, por ejemplo, identificarse zonas en las que sería provechoso cambiar la plantación de una variedad de maduración tardía a una de maduración temprana, con la que proveer a los ingenios cercanos en el primer período de zafra

Cultivos puente verde como herramienta para manejar la nutrición nitrogenada de maíz

El uso de cultivos puente verde se viene generalizando en la región y resulta muy importante conocer en qué medida se ve afectada la disponibilidad de agua y nitrógeno en el cultivo de maíz. Este artículo nos acerca resultados respecto a ello.EEA BalcarceFil: Crespo, Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Crespo, Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Chacra Experimental Integrada Barrow; Argentina.Fil: Corral, Raúl Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Chacra Experimental Integrada Barrow; Argentina.Fil: Corral, Raúl A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Diez, Santiago. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.Fil: Delgado, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Domínguez, Germán. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Agostini, María. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Cendoya, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Sainz Rozas, Hernán Rene. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.Fil: Sainz Rozas, Hernán Rene. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Sainz Rozas, Hernán Rene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: García, Gisela. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Studdert, Guillermo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina

Failure of rapid diagnostic tests in Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases among travelers to the UK and Ireland: Identification and characterisation of the parasites.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to systematically investigate false-negative histidine-rich protein 2 rapid diagnostic tests (HRP2-RDT) in imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases from travelers to the UK and the Republic of Ireland (RoI). METHODS: Five imported malaria cases in travellers returning to the UK and RoI from East Africa were reported to the PHE Malaria Reference Laboratory as negative according to histidine-rich protein (HRP2)-RDT. The cases were systematically investigated using microscopic, RDT, molecular, genomic, and in in vitro approaches. RESULTS: In each case, HRP2-RDT was negative, whereas microscopy confirmed the presence of P. falciparum. Further analysis revealed that the genes encoding HRP2 and HRP3 were deleted in three of the five cases. Whole-genome sequencing in one of these isolates confirmed deletions in P. falciparum chromosomes 8 and 13. Our study produced evidence that the fourth case, which had high parasitemia at clinical presentation, was a rare example of antigen saturation ('prozone-like effect'), leading to a false negative in the HRP2-RDT, while the fifth case was due to low parasitemia. CONCLUSIONS: False-negative HRP2-RDT results with P. falciparum are concerning. Our findings emphasise the necessity of supporting the interpretation of RDT results with microscopy, in conjunction with clinical observations, and sets out a systematic approach to identifying parasites carrying pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions

Effect of surgical experience and spine subspecialty on the reliability of the {AO} Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System

OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper was to determine the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility of the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System based on surgeon experience (&lt; 5 years, 5–10 years, 10–20 years, and &gt; 20 years) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine surgery, neurosurgery, and "other" surgery). METHODS A total of 11,601 assessments of upper cervical spine injuries were evaluated based on the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System. Reliability and reproducibility scores were obtained twice, with a 3-week time interval. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine the percentage of accurately classified injuries, and Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used to screen for potentially relevant differences between study participants. Kappa coefficients (κ) determined the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility. RESULTS The intraobserver reproducibility was substantial for surgeon experience level (&lt; 5 years: 0.74 vs 5–10 years: 0.69 vs 10–20 years: 0.69 vs &gt; 20 years: 0.70) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine: 0.71 vs neurosurgery: 0.69 vs other: 0.68). Furthermore, the interobserver reliability was substantial for all surgical experience groups on assessment 1 (&lt; 5 years: 0.67 vs 5–10 years: 0.62 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs &gt; 20 years: 0.62), and only surgeons with &gt; 20 years of experience did not have substantial reliability on assessment 2 (&lt; 5 years: 0.62 vs 5–10 years: 0.61 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs &gt; 20 years: 0.59). Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons had substantial intraobserver reproducibility on both assessment 1 (0.64 vs 0.63) and assessment 2 (0.62 vs 0.63), while other surgeons had moderate reliability on assessment 1 (0.43) and fair reliability on assessment 2 (0.36). CONCLUSIONS The international reliability and reproducibility scores for the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System demonstrated substantial intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reliability regardless of surgical experience and spine subspecialty. These results support the global application of this classification system

An original phylogenetic approach identified mitochondrial haplogroup T1a1 as inversely associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers

Introduction: Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. Results: We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.Peer reviewe

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues